May is Star Wars month, so first things first: May the fourth be with you!
In Smartmatic, we do have a small (but strong) Star Wars fandom. It is not really surprising, is it? We have a bunch of tech-minded folks, engineers, cool geeks, curious souls and ultimately fun, creative people who love films and fiction. (Yes, we also have Star Trek and Marvel and DC -and even Game of Throne’s- fans, but let’s leave that reality at a side (the dark side?) for a while.)
To celebrate this month, we have nothing less than the release of the latest chapter on the characters’ bio series. This time with one of the audience’s favourite: Han Solo. The new film Solo: A Star Wars Story arrives in theatres on May 25th (We can’t wait!). But meanwhile, what better way to enjoy the time passing that watching trailers and try to discover what do we have in common with Han Solo. We probably have a lot, but let’s narrow it down to the top three.
1. We know we are good at what we do, even if it seems crazily risky for others. In the election technology industry, work is particularly hard, connections and networks are intricate, trust is vital, and we need to be able to serve and offer solutions to a myriad of stakeholders. We need (and fortunately we do) to believe in ourselves and our work to succeed in each project, just being as confident as Han is in Star Wars.
From national top officers and EMBs to small technology partners, they all expect us to show the best possible solutions, taking the plunge, risking it to the end and delivering the best results in unbelievable time frames and circumstances. Sounds familiar? True, we might not work in a galaxy plagued by chaos and uncertainty, as Han Solo did, but we all know that the real world can surpass fiction sometimes!
2. We rely on the best gear and tech tools. And we rock it at managing it. Han Solo would not be the hero he is, and he would not have helped to save the galaxy if he wasn’t the captain of the Millennium Falcon. Though we love the Falcon as it is (a fantastic piece of technology and art -giggles aloud-), it would be just another machine in the history of the Star Wars universe if it wasn’t piloted by Han and Chewbacca. Having the best machines (either if it is voting machines, registration devices, or spaceships!) is only part of the puzzle. The hardware needs to be well designed, user-centred, robust, and durable, but its success rate will always depend on those managing it and using it. In Smartmatic we believe that better solutions come from better R&D, best quality manufacturing, testing, and certification; and first-class integration, implementation, maintenance and support. We are continually designing, creating, managing and piloting our very own Millennium Falcons of the election technology field.
3. We have the best co-pilots ever! Well, let’s face it, Chewbacca might have that reserved seat and title. Nonetheless, in Smartmatic, we are almost as lucky as Han Solo as we embark on every new project with the best team. Our people are not only the best professionals in their areas, but they are also trustable, creative, energetic leaders (Chewie’s fearsome roar, anyone?), loyal and have the greatest of colleagues’ hearts. Right, some of us might have kind of a short temper, particularly under election periods or testing/auditing time, but just as Chewbacca with Han, we have the complete commitment and support of our crew -our Smartmatic clan- in whom we can rely on, and rest assured.
Countless more commonalities can come to our minds. We are persistent, audacious, we love challenges, we are young but experienced, we keep going against all the odds, we believe in democracy and freedom, we commit to our clients, we do not like to seem vulnerable, but we love our sensitive nature, among many others. However, let’s leave it here. We do have to go piloting some terrific election machinery…
